New conflict of interest and ethics commissioner appointed

Retired lawyer Mario Dion has been appointed as the federal government’s conflict of interest and ethics commissioner.

A Montreal native, Dion spent his career in the public service. His first job was legal adviser at the Ministry of the Solicitor General. From there, he became assistant deputy minister of communications, evaluation and research at Corrections Canada. After that, he was at the Department of Justice, serving as assistant deputy minister of corporate services and then associate deputy minister of justice. Dion continued his career as deputy clerk and counsel and the Privy Council Office and was responsible for legislative house planning and machinery of government. Following that, he returned to the Department of Justice as associate deputy minister.

In 2003, Dion was appointed deputy minister of Indian Residential Schools Resolution of Canada and led efforts to bring closure to 16,000 pending litigation files and to realize the 2006 agreement with former residential school students.

He also served as chair of the National Parole Board and commissioner of public sector integrity. In 2015, he was named as chair or the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada.

Dion’s appointment is effective Jan. 9, 2018, and will last for a seven-year term.

Get instant access

Get free access to The Lawyer's Daily

PLEASE NOTE: A verification email will be sent to your address before you can access your trial.

We take your privacy seriously. As detailed in our Privacy Policy we will use your personal information to administer your account and provide the products and services that you have requested from us.

We take your privacy seriously. As detailed in our Privacy Policy we will use your personal information to administer your account and provide the products and services that you have requested from us.